Crossland etal
voting device



g- 1957 E. J. cRossLAND ETAL. 3,333,766

VOTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS 4o EDWARD J cR05sLAA/D,

FRANR L. WALTERS AND Y DON RANDALL ATTORNEYS 1, 1967 E. J. CROSSLAND ETAL 3,333,766

VOTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV EN TORS FFANK L. WALTEFS AND DON RANDALL I EDWARD .1 cfiossuwa,

.AITORNEYS United States Patent 3,333,766 VOTING DEVICE Edward J. Crossland, Frank L. Walters, and Don Randall,

Tulsa, Okla., assignors t0 Seismograph Service Corporation, Tulsa, Okla., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,393 1 Claim. (Cl. 235-50) The present invention relates to a voting device, and more particularly, to a combined vote recording system, voting booth, and carrying case.

Vote recording systems or data registering machines of the type employing machine-processable record cards for recording thevote or data are known. One such vote recording system, described in US. Patent No. 3,201,038, granted Aug. 17, 1965, to Joseph P. Harris, employs conventional punch receiving ballot cards for manually recording data pertaining to voter selections. Such a system includes a base member providing a track for positioning a ballot card in the vote recording system. The vote recording system contains a plate overlying the ballot card and containing a plurality of perforations, groups of the perforations being associated with respective areas on the ballot card. A marking stylus is provided for manipulation by the voter to punch through the perforations in the plate in order to perforate the ballot card. One means of aligning the respective perforations with the ballot includes providing a plurality of sheets or leaves having reference indicia associated with respective areas on the record card. The leaves can be turned to a position wherein selective ones of the indicia are in alignment with respective areas or rows of the ballot card and cover other areas of the ballot card. In this manner the set of perforations associated with the indicia on a particular leaf are exposed to permit recording of voter selections along the corresponding area or row of the ballot card.

Such vote recording systems require packaging for transportation and require installation in a voting booth to insure secrecy for the voter. This means that storage facilities must be provided between elections for the voting booths and the vote recording systems.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a combined vote recording system, voting booth, and carrying case to minimize the storage problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved voting device forming a self contained voting booth and foldable into a carrying case.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a small, light, and inexpensive voting device which is self contained and may be folded readily into briefcase size for handling.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a small, light, and inexpensive voting device which is self contained and which permits the voter to record his vote in seclusion.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

In accordance with these and other objects, there is provided an improved voting device including a base member defining a shelf of a voting booth and having positioning means for receiving a record or ballot card therein in predetermined orientation. Suitable sheets or leaves are provided with reference indicia respectively associated with different areas on the record card. The sheets or leaves are mounted for movement from a position wherein selective ones of the indicia are in align- 3,333,766 Patented Aug. 1, 1967 ment with respective ones of the areas and in covering relation relative to others.

In accordance with the present invention, a back member is hinged to the base and may be folded to define a carrying case. Moreover a pair of side flaps defining side walls of a voting booth are hinged to the base or the back and fold in for storage.

A light is recessed in the back to provide illumination to facilitate the vote casting operation. Moreover the open back can display a sample ballot or other information. Additionally, voter instructions may be located in the voting booth on the shelf or otherwise as required. According to the invention there is provided a small, light, and inexpensive voting device including the vote recording system and voting booth, and which is readily foldable into a briefcase size carrying case.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the voting device illustrating its use;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the voting device;

' FIG. 3 is a partially folded front perspective view of the improved voting device;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the voting device folded into a carrying case; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the folded voting device drawn to a smaller scale.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated an 1 improved voting device 10 according to the present invention. As will hereafter become apparent, the voting device 10 is a combined vote recording system, voting booth, and carrying case. The voting device 10 includes a base or base member 11 forming a shelf 12 and defining one side of a carrying case. The shelf 12 carries the vote recording system 14 shown as a means for perforating machine-processable record or ballot cards 15 (FIG. 2). The vote recording system 14 may be of the type more fully described in the above mentioned Harris patent. Briefiy, the vote recording system 14 includes a track 16 on the base 11 for receiving and positioning the ballot'card 15 predetermined position relative to the base. A template 18 overlays the ballot card 15 and contains a plurality of rows of perforations or holes 19 with respective rows beingin' alignment with associated areas or rows of the ballot card 15. A plurality of votingsheets or leaves 20, individually identified as 20a, 20b', etc1, each containing indicia '21 such as the names of candidates, are hinged to the base member so that each of the leaves 20 is movable to a position wherein a selected pair of the holes 19, and thereby the indicia 21, are exposed and in alignment with an associated row or area of the ballot card 15, while the remaining rows of holes 19, and therefore the remaining indicia 21 on the other leaves 20, are covered by the leaf.

In order for a voter to make his voting selection, there is provided a stylus (not shown) normally attached to the base 11 by means of a chain and utilized to punch the ballot card 15 through the holes 19 in the template 18. After the voter casts his votes for the candidates or issues on the first leaf 20a, the next leaf 20b is turned, thereby covering the row of holes 19 previously exposed and also exposing an additional row of holes 19 which are then aligned with other indicia 21 on the second leaf 20b.

To provide a back for the voting booth, and a top for the carrying case, there is provided a back or back member 23 hinged to the base 11 by suitable hinges 22 (FIG. 5). When opened, the back 23 defines a back of the voting booth, and when closed, as shown in FIG. 4, the back cooperates with the base 11 to define a carrying case for the voting device. A sample ballot or other instructions or indicia may be displayed against the inside of the back 23. The illustrated sample ballot 25 is fastened to the voting device 10 by means of a hinge 24.

To provide sides for the voting booth, there are provided side flaps 28 and 29 which are hinged along a respective edge to opposite sides of the back 23 by suitable hinge means 30 (FIG. 3). An enlarged rail or U- shaped flange 32, secured to the bottom edge of each of the side flaps 28 and 29, is seated in a corresponding guide track 33 defined in the base 11 to position the side flaps when the voting booth is in the open position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A recessed light 35 (FIG. 3) may be provided in the top of the back member to illuminate the voting device 14, the sample ballot 25, and the like. Voter instructions on cards 36 may be displayed within the voting booth in any suitable place; for example, toward the tear on the top of the base 11. Recessed compartments 37 and 38 formed in the top of the base 11 and respectively disposed along opposite sides of the template 18 provide easy access to the voting sheets or leaves 20.

As previously indicated, when the side flaps 28 and 29 and the back 23 are all folded as illustrated in FIG. 4, a briefcase type carrying case is defined to facilitate handling and storage. To this end the base 11 and back 23 are provided with interlocking latch members 40 and the back 23 is provided with a carrying handle 41 along one side edge near the center.

To permit locked stacking of the folded cases, the upper surface of back 23 is provided with ornamental elevated projections 23a which are receivable within complementary recessed areas 11a, FIG. 5, in the base 11. When several cases are stacked one on top of the other, the projections 23a fit within recesses 11a of the adjacent case to form a compact stack in which the several cases are locked together against individual movement. Thus, a large number of cases can be stored conveniently in a relatively small area.

From the above detailed description the operation of the improved voting device 10 is believed clear. However, briefly, it will be understood that the voting device 10 is foldable into a briefcase type carrying case having a handle 41, as best illustrated in FIG. 4. In this manner the voting device 10 may be transported readily and economically without damage to the components parts. When it is desired to install or use the voting device 10, the voting device 10 is opened by first unfolding the back 23 upwardly, as indicated in FIG. 3, and thereafter by unfolding the side flaps 28 and 29 and locking the lower flanges 32 thereof into the tracks 33. In this manner a voting booth is formed to permit a voter 50, FIG. 1, to record his vote in seclusion. The inner surface of the back 23 may display a suitable sample ballot 25 and suitable voter instructions or other cards may be removed from the storage compartments 37 and 38 and inserted in suitable spaces provided adjacent the rear of the base 11. The voter 50 may readily manipulate the stylus to punch through the ballot card 15 as more fully described in the above mentioned Harris patent.

Although the present invention has been described by reference to only a single embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that numerous other modifications and embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art and it is intended by the appended claim to cover all modifications and embodiments which will fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A voting device of the type defining a combined vote recording system, voting booth, and carrying case; comprising a base member defining a generally horizontal shelf of a voting booth; positioning means carried by said horizontal shelf member for positioning a ballot card thereon in predetermined position relative to said base member, leaf means provided with reference indicia associated with areas on a record card, means mounting said leaf means for movement to a position wherein selective ones of said indicia are in alignment with respective ones of said areas and in covering relation relative to other areas, a back member defining a back wall of a voting booth, hinge means joining said base member and said back member along respective adjacent edges thereof, said base member and said back member being foldable about said hinge means to provide a carrying case, handle means on at least one of said members, latch means cooperatively associated with said members, a pair of side flaps defining side walls. of a voting booth, and hinge means joining an edge of each of said flaps to said back member, said horizontal shelf being provided with a pair of tracks along opposite sides thereof and the lower edge of each of said flaps being adapted to ride within one of said tracks.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,108,384 8/1914 McTammany 235--50 3,201,038 9/1965 Harris 23550 3,240,409 3/ 1966 Harris 23550 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

STANLEY A. WAL, Assistant Examiner. 

